


The One Where Javert Accidentally Adopts A Little Girl

by orphan_account



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-23
Updated: 2013-05-14
Packaged: 2017-12-09 07:05:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/771399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Javert shows up at the Thénardier's doorstep looking for the child Cosette, Thénardier sees it as an opportunity to get a bit more money-after all two children are double the money! And since he doesn't have any spare girls Cosette's age lying around the inn, he gives the officer Éponine.</p><p>DISCONTINUED FOR THE MOMENT</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Les Mis fic ever, and my first time writing anything in ages so please bear with me everyone. Massive thanks to my beta icarus5800 (also check out her Javert/Valjean vampire fic because it's AMAZING). I'll try to update at least once a week

“Not bad.” Thénardier smirked at the money in his hands before turning to his wife. “Not bad at all.”

“Not enough!” she shrieked back at him. Sometimes, he wondered why he had married the woman at all. 

“Don’t worry, love,” Thénardier placated, “Next time, I’ll get the lot.” Leaning in to his wife, he tried to kiss her, but she pulled away, still annoyed.

As she turned, the irritation turned to fear. “Now look what you did, there’s a coppa at the door! Taking so much money without asking, we’re going to get it now.”

Thénardier squared his shoulders and pulled away from his wife’s mumblings. He went to the door and was met by a man on a horse. “Sir,” he began, trying to sound calm, “welcome to my ‘umble inn. ‘Ow may I be of service to you this fine evening?”

“Where is the child Cosette?” he officer said briskly, hopping down from his horse to look Thénardier in the eyes.

Thénardier swallowed. Then was struck with a brilliant idea that would surely get his wife back again.

“She’s just through here. Sleeping y’see. Take a seat while I grab ‘er for you Monsieur…?” he left the sentence hanging, hoping to find out the monetary status of the officer.

“Javert,” the man replied tersely. “I am Inspector Javert.” 

Thénardier swallowed. The man had several other officers waiting outside for him, indicating a high position of authority. “Um… right this way then sir, while I rouse the little mademoiselle.” 

The inspector seemed reluctant to sit down, but did anyway and Mme. Thénardier rushed over to him and began looking for valuables on him, while asking if there was anything he wanted to eat. She shot a confused look over the officer’s head, to which Thénardier just shook his head slightly and near sprinted to his daughter’s room. Éponine slept peacefully, looking like a little angel. Thénardier regretted what he was about to do, but he was too deep down the rabbit-hole now.

“Wakey-wakey, love.” Éponine opened her eyes slowly and let out a giant yawn. “Do you think you can do a special job for daddy, darling?” 

More fully awake now, Éponine smiled at her father and nodded. Thénardier ignored the pulling in his chest. “There is a special man downstairs, and he’s going to take you on a holiday.” Éponine’s brow creased in confusion.

“Why?” 

Thénardier sighed inwardly. “Because I said so, alright?” Éponine’s eyes widened as her father snapped at her. After the outburst he pulled himself back in. “But for you to do this I need you to do me a very special favour.” Éponine nodded silently.

“You need to pretend that you are Cosette for me.”

Now Éponine did look very confused. “Why daddy? I don’t want to be like Cosette. You and Mama always say that I should try to be better than her.”

“And you are,” Thénardier agreed, trying to pull his daughter out of bed to keep the officer downstairs from getting suspicious. “But this is for a special game, and to win you need to pretend that you are Cosette.” Éponine nodded slowly. “Alright then darling, let’s get you downstairs to meet Inspector Javert. You must be very polite to him, clear?” Éponine nodded again, looking fiercely determined.

Thénardier pulled her out of bed and packed a case roughly with a couple of dresses and dolls for his daughter to play with, before they both headed out of Éponine’s room and to where Javert was waiting.

When the duo got down, the Inspector looked disgruntled and Thénardier’s wife seemed to have a slightly more ample bosom than usual. Thénardier had to swallow a smile. Even the highest of policemen could be swindled if you knew the way to go about it. Mme. Thénardier barely stifled a gasp when she saw Éponine trailing behind her husband. 

“Inspector,” Thénardier greeted “I apologise to have taken up so much of your time, but our darling Cosette took a while to wake.”

Javert looked Éponine up and down, and Thénardier held his breath praying that his ruse would go unnoticed by the officer. Éponine curtsied to him hesitantly.

“Bonsoir, Monsieur l’Inspecteur,” she said. “I am Cosette.” Thénardier willed his wife to go along with his idea. After all, he reasoned, even if the officer fell for the trick and took Éponine away, they would still have Azelma, and the unborn child she was carrying. Thankfully, Éponine’s ploy seemed to convince Inspector Javert that they had spoken true.

He turned back to Thénardier. “I must take this child with me. She may prove essential to finding an escaped convict.” Behind him, a small gasp was let out by Mme. Thénardier. “Of course, you will be amply rewarded upon the capture of this criminal and the child will be returned to you.”

Thénardier tried to keep his face impassive. “Whatever you see fit, Inspector. Although,” he began, “keep in mind that we have treated this child as our own, and kept her as well as we could. Giving such a treasure away from you would be a travesty.” Thénardier gauged the situation before continuing. “However, a monetary compensation would not go amiss as reward for our compliance when ‘elping out an officer of the law, such as yourself.” Javert sighed, and Thénardier sent out a silent prayer that he hadn’t overstepped with a police officer.

“Of course sir,” Javert returned. “I will give you 80 francs for the child now, and when the convict is captured, a further 150.” He procured a pocketbook and drew out a bond for 80 francs. Thénardier’s wife snapped it up quickly, and stuffed it down her dress front. 

“Thank-you kindly, Inspector Javert,” she grinned at him. “Just doing our service to the Law and God above.”

“Amen.” Replied the officer absently. “Now,” he said, shaking himself and grabbing Éponine’s case of treasures. “I must leave you. Child, follow me.”

Éponine sent a look back at her father, conveying that she thought the game would be over soon and she could return home. Thénardier gave a shooing motion with his hand and tried to tell her to keep the charade up. Hopefully, they would get away with the deception, but even so, Thénardier started thinking about how much it would cost to move his business elsewhere; somewhere that police officers wouldn’t be able to find him at.

Thénardier closed the door as soon as the officer left, and trailed up the stairs, ignoring his wife’s shrill voice berating him for letting their child go. She would be fine with an officer of the law, and if she wasn’t, then she wasn’t his responsibility anymore. They got 80 francs for her, with a possible 150 on the way. If that was the price of Éponine, he would take it gladly.


	2. Chapter 2

The child remained silent on the road back from Montfermeil to Montreuil-sur-Mer. Javert would look over to her occasionally to find the young girl staring ahead stoically. She looked like she was trying not to cry. Against his will, Javert found himself respecting the small girl and her determination to show no weakness. Although, Javert reasoned, the part of town she grew up in would not have been the best place to show fear. Her parents had somehow developed a somewhat respectable-looking inn in one of the seedier areas of Montfermeil, even if it looked as though it had seen better days.

By evening, Montreuil-sur-Mer was in sight, and the child looked as though she would have fallen off the horse in exhaustion, were it not for the soldier behind her holding her up. Normally, Javert would have pushed his soldiers on the extra few leagues to Montreuil-sur-Mer, but he found himself unwilling to force the child to keep riding, if only because, he reasoned to himself, it would do no good if she were to fall off and have to waste time getting back on. Javert refused to acknowledge the fact that he might have felt slightly guilty about the part he played in Fantine’s death.

“We will stop now,” Javert barked out to the unit. “Prepare to sup then sleep. We will ride early tomorrow morning.”

The officers exchanged brief looks of confusion, but didn’t comment on Javert’s deviation from his natural ideals, and silently began unpacking their bags and pulling food from packs. 

The child hadn’t moved from the horse, her back still straight and turned away from Javert. She made no movement to show she was inclined to get off the horse and come over to where everyone else was planning dinner.

She couldn’t be left there. The countryside was rife with bandits and thieves that could take advantage of a small child separated from a group, regardless of whether the group was made up of officers. Javert couldn’t lose Cosette. He needed her to capture Jean Valjean. 

Sighing deeply, Javert pulled himself away from the camaraderie to the lone horse and its rider. Still the child did not acknowledge him. Javert raised his eyes to the stars and gave a quick prayer that the little girl would be content to stay within the group. Javert tapped the girl lightly on the shoulder and she whipped around to face him. Fear in her eyes receded back into loneliness and a low anger. 

“Cosette, you must rest now. Come off your horse and eat some dinner.” Javert was unsure if this was how to talk to children. But Cosette gave a slight nod and let Javert lift her off the horse. The horse was tied up next to Gymont, who gave a disapproving whinny at the child next the Javert. Cosette pulled away from the horse and into Javert’s side, before seeming to realise what she did and withdrew again.

Javert decided to ignore that.

Cosette allowed herself to be led to the centre of the camp and given a bowl of meagre food. She ate ravenously, but seemed to have to force the soup and bread down. Javert reasoned that she was probably used to a higher grade of food at her old home. Soon after finishing his meal, Javert excused himself to bed and left the men to argue about watches and who would mind the child. These arguments had no use to Javert, so he tuned them out. He fell asleep quickly, his last thought strangely being for the child he had under his care, and not how she was going to be used to capture Jean Valjean at last.

Around midnight, Javert was roused for his watch. Silently, he nodded to the officer that woke him. He pulled himself off his bedroll and made slightly away from the camp with a torch. He stood upright, entire body ready for a possible attack. He stroked his truncheon down its side absently. He would be prepared if the group was attacked. He was prepared for anything and everything the world had to throw at him. 

Except a small hand tugging on his uniform.

Javert swung around, truncheon out of its pouch. It was raised above his head when he had turned to find Cosette. He cursed inwardly and stowed the weapon again. “Child, what are you doing awake at this hour.”

She shrugged dismissively. “Mama and Papa have entertained guests far later than this,” she replied primly. “I am free to stay up as late as I wish, Monsieur.” Javert frowned at the attitude the girl was displaying.

“Child, I must ask that you go to sleep now. We will be riding early tomorrow, and I will not tolerate whining of any kind.” Javert sighed inwardly. From what Monsieur le Mai- the convict had said, Fantine was a good worker and a kind-hearted soul in the factory. Javert had hoped that her daughter would be cut from the same cloth, but it seemed that was not the case.

Cosette stared at Javert intently for a second, before turning haughtily and beginning to walk back to the camp. Before she joined the circle of men sleeping, she turned back to Javert.

“The horse you said was mine, may I name him?”

Javert sighed deeply. The child seemed to think she was entitled to anything she wanted, even something as expensive as horse. Still, if it would get her to bed?  
“Yes. Name him whatever you wish.”

Cosette took this as a positive answer and flashed Javert a brilliant smile before turning back and lying down to sleep.

Javert turned his gaze back away from the group of officers and towards the countryside. His hand returned to the truncheon and began tapping it again.  
The child was like nothing he expected. Still, he reasoned, he would put up with a bratty child if it meant catching Jean Valjean at last. 

The next morning Javert awoke to Cosette staring down at him. He was lying on his bedroll and found the child above him inquisitively looking at his face. “Are we leaving soon, Monsieur l’Inspecteur?”

Javert rapidly pulled himself into respectability and sat up. “Soon, child. The soldiers must awake and eat, and then we will return to Montreuil-sur-Mer.”  
Cosette nodded to him and sat herself down next to Javert, seemingly waiting for everyone else to do what she expected of them. Javert was irritated at the obedience she expected, as though she was the commanding officer and not him, and with a start, realised that when expected, she got it. It was not dissimilar to the attitude of a commanding officer. If the child could control her desires for the commonplace, perhaps one day she could become a valuable citizen and help keep the law. Perhaps, Javert reasoned, this child would give him an opportunity to make penance for the way he let Valjean escape from his grasp and his responsibility of Fantine’s death. Giving her child a good home after capturing a dangerous criminal would be the perfect way to atone for his many sins under Monsieur le Maire’s command. 

Shaking himself from this inner reflection, Javert roused the other soldiers and they ate in silence. Soon they would be back in Montreuil-sur-Mer. Soon Valjean would be captured, now that Cosette was in Javert’s custody. Javert only hoped that he could stay in the town with the memory of its mayor still fresh in his mind.


End file.
